Nas And Santigold Tapped For October’s “Virgin Mobile FreeFest” In Maryland

For 2012, Virgin Mobile has tapped headliners Nas and Santigold among others, for their October 6th free concert that is set to take place at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.

In addition Nas and Santigold, acts like Skrillex, Das Racist, ZZ Top, Alabama Shakes, Ben Folds Five, Jack White and more will also hit the stage.

According the website, donations from last year’s event “built the Virgin Mobile RE*Generation House, a homeless youth shelter in Washington, DC.”

In an effort to keep the concert going for many years to come, attendees are asked to make a $10 donation to the RE*Generation initiative to address youth homelessness.

“Your donations will go towards opening the doors of a fully operational RE*Generation House, providing a community of homeless youth with access to not just housing but programming around social entrepreneurship and urban agriculture. All donations will be collected and presented by Virgin Unite, the philanthropic arm of Richard Branson’s Virgin Group.”

Last years lineup included The Black Keys, Cee-Lo, Big Sean and Deadmau5 while previous years have seen acts like Ludacris, Blink-182, Public Enemy, Weezer and Wale take the stage.

Those interested in “pre-sale” tickets can follow the concert on their Twitter page.

Tickets for the 2012 Virgin Mobile FreeFest will become available on August 24th at 12 pm EST at VirginMobileLive.com.

Ice-T Responds To Rush Limbaugh’s Rant – “I’m Also A Veteran”

Ice-T escalated his war of words with Rush Limbaugh via Twitter, after the right-wing talking head called the rapper out on his popular talk show “The Rush Limbaugh Show.”

Rush Limbaugh blasted Ice-T on his show Monday (July 24), after the rapper defended gun rights on during an interview about the Aurora, Colorado shootings that left 12 people dead on July 20.

“I’ll give up my gun when everyone else does,” Ice-T  told UK Channel 4 News after the shootings. “If there were guns here would you want to be the only person with out one? The right to bear arms because that’s the last defense against tyranny, not to hunt. It’s to protect yourself from the police. If somebody wants to kill people, they don’t need a gun to do it. You can strap explosives on your body, they do that all the time.”

The comments didn’t sit well with Rush Limbaugh, who took aim at Ice-T on his daily show.

“There’s Ice-T saying the only reason we got guns in America is ‘to protect yourself from the police,’” Rush Limbaugh laughed. “Well, we’re told, ‘Hey, its cultural. We gotta understand it from the cultural standpoint. That’s where Mr. T’s [Ice-T] is coming from.” He knew the word ‘tyranny’ and he knows that tyranny comes from government representatives. Double impressive. Tyranny doesn’t come from media figures, or actors.”

Ice-T replied to Rush Limbaugh’s comments yesterday evening, and continued to discuss the issue today (July 25).

“Before you challenge me do your research,” Ice-T tweeted. “I’ve lectured at Stanford, Princeton & Harvard to name a few… I just might be smarter than YOU.”

Ice took aim at today’s rapper’s as well, claiming the new breed of emcees are less politicized than the previous generation of artists.

“I love how people are soooo SHOCKED to hear something thought-provoking said by a rapper.. Hip Hop has changed to POP .. Nobody says shit. My comment on guns got a lot of press.. They call me ‘Gangster’ don’t forget ‘US Army Vet.’ A little gun history.”

Ice-T labeled Rush Limbaugh a “racist piece of s**t” and told his 272,673 followers that if they supported Rush Limbaugh or Bill O’Reilly, they should stop following him.

“No matter what.. There will ALWAYS be two sides to every issue.. Have the courage to chose one,” Ice-T advised.

A$AP Rocky Announces “LongLiveA$AP” Fall Tour; Supporting Acts Include Danny Brown And Schoolboy Q

A$AP Rocky has announced cities, dates, and supporting acts for his upcoming “LongLiveA$AP” tour which will last from September until late November.

A$AP Rocky’s three-month long tour, which also includes Danny Brown and Schoolboy Q, will hit 41 cities and officially kick off on September 21 in Providence, Rhode Island.

Over the course of the tour, the Harlem rapper and company will visit U.S. cities like Detroit, Chicago, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Miami, with the finale show set for November 18 at Philadelphia’s Electric Factory.

Before the “LongLiveA$AP” tour begins, however, A$AP Rocky will perform at New York City’s Catalpa Music Festival this weekend in August as part of the forthcoming “Rock the Bells” festival.

Check out a full list of cities and dates below:

09/21 Providence, RI – Lupos
09/22 Burlington, VT – UVM – Ballroom
09/23 New Haven, CT – Toads Place
09/25 Norfolk, VA – Norva Theater
09/26 Silver Springs, MD – The Fillmore
09/28 Boston, MA – House of Blues
09/29 Springfield, MA – Massmutual Center
10/03 Detroit, MI – The Fillmore
10/04 Cincinnati, OH – Bogarts
10/05 Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
10/06 Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
10/07 Grand Rapids, MI – Intersection
10/09 Indianapolis, IN – Murat Theater
10/11 Chicago, IL – Congress
10/12 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
10/13 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
10/14 Kansas City, MO – Beaumont Club
10/15 Denver, CO – Ogden Theater
10/17 Salt Lake City, UT – Complex – Rockwell
10/19 Pullman, WA – Washington State U
10/20 Vancouver, BC – The Vogue
10/21 Seattle, WA – Showbox Sodu
10/22 Portland, OR – Roseland Ballroom
10/26 Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium
10/28 San Diego, CA – House of Blues
10/29 Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
10/30 Phoenix, AZ – Celebrity Theater
10/31 Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
11/02 Dallas, TX – House of Blues
11/03 Austin, TX – Fun Fun Fun Fest
11/04 Houston, TX – Verizon
11/06 New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
11/08 Miami, FL – Fillmore Miami
11/09 Orlando, FL – Beachium
11/10 Tampa, FL – The Ritz
11/11 Tallahassee, FL – Potbelly’s
11/13 Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues
11/14 Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle
11/15 Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore
11/16 Richmond, VA – National
11/18 Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory